Diani lesser galago
Galagoides cocos
Key identification features
A rat sized primate with large ears and large eyes and an elongated upturned nose with dark blackish patches on the sides of its nose. The body is a dark brown colour with reddish tints, the hairs on its back are tipped buffy brown and the underparts are yellowish. They are nocturnal and more often heard then seen. The loud calls of bushbabies are a better guide for separating the various species then their appearance. The advertising call of the diani lesser galago is a incremental call. It often begins with high pitched rapidly uttered chirrups followed by units arranged in phrases high in frequency and amplitude, with decreasing amplitude and increasing number of units per phrase during the call. HB 15.8 cm WT 144 g
Habitat and social behaviour
Evergreen forest at the coast. Calls have been recorded in the northern lowland coastal forests of the Eastern Usambara Mountains in North-eastern Tanzania. It is a nocturnal social animal that lives in small family groups but which forages singly.
Similar species
The different species of dwarf galagos look very similar, Diani lesser galago has prominent darker patches on either side of the muzzle. The most reliable way to distinguish between species in the field is by the loud advertising calls: The other species of dwarf galagos occurring in coastal forest are the Grant’s galago and Zanzibar galago. The Zanzibar galago has a call with rolling trill units that after a few units becomes higher pitched and louder before reaching a mild crescendo and then trailing off. The Grant’s galago has an incremental call like the Diani lesser galago but maintains a relatively consistent loudness, and has more units per phrase then the diani lesser galago.
Distribution Map
Historical Distribution Map
References for historical distribution map
See also
Rondo galago · Zanzibar galago · Grant's galago · Mountain galago